


i broke down and fell asleep to your beating heart

by puppyfacedbrokenboys



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Angst, Blood, Hospital, M/M, Tears, Violence, verge of death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-28
Updated: 2014-08-28
Packaged: 2018-02-18 23:29:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2365967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/puppyfacedbrokenboys/pseuds/puppyfacedbrokenboys
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life was a bitch, Aiden cursed in his head. Just when he was finally getting comfortable with being safe and happy for once, of course it all just had to come crashing down around him.</p><p>// Or the one where Jackson gets severely injured and Aiden doesn't handle it well.</p>
            </blockquote>





	i broke down and fell asleep to your beating heart

**Author's Note:**

> I really don't what this is, but it’s ANGST ANGST ANGST (shocker, right?).
> 
> It’s inspired loosely by One Tree Hill S8E03, specifically Quinn’s monologue to Clay in the hospital (* which is pretty much quoted word for word by Aiden in this fic). The title is from [Your Beating Heart by Brendan James](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAsxLcVqZtw).

 Life was a bitch, Aiden cursed in his head. Just when he was finally getting comfortable with being safe and happy for once, of course it all just had to come crashing down around him.

They had been good, he and Jackson. They still knew exactly which buttons to press, and enjoyed doing it, but overall they were in a groove. No major blow ups had happened for a long time, and the couple had dropped into this weird sense of security that maybe things would be okay – that they could both be happy.

But apparently one of them – or both, Aiden sure as hell didn’t know – had pissed off the powers that be and all of that happiness was taken away in the blink of an eye. A new beast had blown through town and the pack had gone in blind. Aiden had turned his back for a second, protecting his brother, and the next he felt a sharp pain in his chest, followed by a scream that Aiden more felt than heard come from Jackson.

“Jackson!” he yelled in anguish, throwing a passed out Ethan at the closest pack member and then running towards the crumpled form of his mate. All he saw was red and black, gushing from the deep slashes on Jackson’s chest and Aiden lost it. He jumped at the thing that had set its sights on Derek and Scott, claws sinking into the juggler of the thing and slashing, ripping anything and everything he could for the thing to drop.

Once the thing was out, Aiden collasped at Jackson’s side, falling to his knees and lips pressing to Jackson’s forehead. He didn’t care who saw, or that he was sobbing in front of the pack, or that that the blood in his mouth mixed with salt water. All he cared about was Jackson.

“You stupid, fucker. You just had to do it, huh? You just had to take on all the glory yourself, asswipe. Now look at you.” As the words spewed from his mouth, he felt a new wave of anger grip him, tightening in his chest as the words just kept spewing out. It’s how he dealt with things when he had no clue how to deal to begin with. When the words weren’t enough, Aiden gripped his limp body by the front of his shredded shirt and shook him. He thought that maybe if he got mad enough, cut deep enough, Jackson would rage right back.

But he didn’t. And Aiden couldn’t deal with that.

* * *

“He’s a goddamn werewolf, he should be healing! Why isn’t he healing?” Aiden yelled desperately at Deaton and Melissa in the hospital room. He was pale, his eyes red and flat, even as he raged away.

“He _is_ healing, very slowly. I’ve done all I can do,” Deaton said softly as Melissa pulled up Jackson’s blanket a little higher.

“And so have we, I think. It’s up to him now,” Melissa added with a sigh.

Aiden turned to look at the even paler figure on the bed, arms crossed over his chest as he managed to muster up a small glare. He just didn’t have the energy for the heat anymore. “C’mon, fuckface, this isn’t funny anymore. You need to wake up now, you hear me?” Aiden’s shoulders shook as he tried to keep himself together. He was falling apart at the seams.

“Honey,” Melissa tried, reaching out to touch Aiden but he flinched away, making her wince. “Aiden, you need to calm down. You’re only making yourself worse. Yelling at him is not going to change anything.”

“You don’t know that. He’s a stubborn asshole, and a fucking drama queen. A kick in the ass in what he needs.” Aiden sat down in the chair beside Jackson’s bedside, leg bouncing in time to the heart monitor.

Deaton and Melissa shared a concerned look over Aiden’s head and soon left the room.

* * *

Days passed in much the same way. Aiden napping in the chair beside Jackson’s bed; then him going on rages when he was awake. Jackson still unconscious.

Aiden was wound tight in a ball of anger, but it was a desperate anger that masked the fear he felt over the possibility that Jackson might not wake up. And Aiden couldn’t think like that – not when he finally wasn’t alone. Sure, he had Ethan, of course. They were twins until the end, but Ethan had Danny now, and he could barely look at Aiden the last few times he’s visited.

It was tearing his twin up inside that he couldn’t shield his brother from this pain. No one could, that was the harsh reality of this whole thing. And Aiden was mad at the world, because why this? Why now? Why _them_? Didn’t he and Jackson deserve to be _happy_ for once? Now that Aiden had a taste of that happiness, had realized just how much he was missing, he would yell and claw and do anything in his power to not let it go.

To not let Jackson go.

And he was slowly losing his grip on him, he could feel it. Aiden’s rage was dying in his chest, too, as heartbreak and sorrow and a new wave of desperation gripped him like a vice, and he sagged in his chair as his body gave in to the exhaustion. He could feel his head pound as he felt the dam of tears he had fiercely refused to let fall threaten to break.

Slowly, he leaned forward in his chair and grabbed for Jackson’s hand, bringing it close to his chest as black veins appeared on his arms. It was instinct – natural – to pull the pain from Jackson’s body, even though Aiden suspected he actually couldn’t feel it. But it gave Aiden something to do, and he was already hurting and breaking apart himself, why not add even more pain?

He was quiet for a while, watching Jackson’s chest rise and fall steadily, but shallow because of his chest wounds. His free hand reached out to brush a lock of Jackson’s hair from his forehead, a small smile curving Aiden’s lips as he mused softly, “I bet you’re gonna go ballistic once you see your hair, Jacks.”

No response. Aiden sighed heavily and brushed a kiss to the Jackson’s palm. All the rage was gone now, and Aiden felt raw and exposed, his voice hoarse as he continued, trying a new tactic of sincerity. “So just between us, everybody’s putting on a really brave face… but I think they’re all really scared.” He gave a hollow laugh at that, his thumb brushing the corner of Jackson’s mouth. “ _I’m_ really scared. Because I can’t imagine losing you…it’s too much to imagine. But that’s not gonna happen, is it? My mate is too strong for that. So why don’t –” He paused to take a shaky breath, lowering his forehead to rest against Jackson’s temple; hand squeezing Jackson’s limp one in his tightly. When he spoke again, his voice was a mere whisper. “Why don’t you surprise us all and open those beautiful blue eyes and take my breath away… like you know you do. Just open those eyes…and see me like no eyes ever have… and I’ll be right here waiting.”*

He pulled his head away and moved so he was looking right at Jackson. His face didn’t change, but Aiden knew without the blip of the heart monitor that Jackson’s heart had speed up a bit, but then it slowed to its steady pace again. Aiden felt his hope come crashing down as he pressed his lips hard to Jackson’s, finally letting the tears begin to flow down his cheeks. “I love you, you idiot. Don’t you dare leave me alone. Okay? I can’t – I won’t let you go, got me? I’ll wait here, for as long as it takes for your stubborn ass to wake up.” He chuckled breathlessly through his tears at that, watching for any sign but there wasn’t one, and Aiden sighed, causing the damn to finally break, and let himself fully break down since that terrible night that brought them here.

And not before long, Aiden was lulled to sleep by the sound of Jackson’s beating heart.

* * *

There was groaning to his left, and then there was a smack to his face. Aiden sprang up, eyes cracking open, as he asked, agitated, “What the fu—,” but trailed off in a choke as he took in the sight before him.

“Who was the stupid fuck that left the blinds open? Not only am I confined to a lumpy, uncomfortable hospital bed, and it hurts to fucking breathe, I have to be blinded too?” Jackson complained, hoarsely but definitely the same old Jackson that Aiden had somehow grown to love.

“You almost died, and you’re complaining about sunshine? Oh, thank god, the douche is back,” Aiden quipped back with a smirk. The vice grip on his chest fell away as he saw those stupid and beautiful blue eyes fall onto him as Jackson focused on him.

“Of course, I am. No one can live without me,” Jackson snarked, but Aiden could see the genuine smile in his eyes under the smirk. “So… I heard your little speech, you know. You’re a fucking sap, asshat.” But Jackson’s hand slipped into Aiden’s and squeezed three times – _I. Love. You. –_ and his mouth quirked up to make his smirk more crooked as Aiden’s heart skipped a beat; the fucker no doubt heard it.

“I hate you so much,” Aiden growled, pulling Jackson into a deep, desperate kiss, his own palm squeezing Jackson’s four times – _I. Love. You. More._ “And I hope your stubborn jerkass is happy, because you outdid yourself. Drama fucking queen. Everyone was worried about you.” The unspoken _don’t you ever_ _fucking_ _scare me like that again_ was loud and clear.

Jackson laughed at that, wincing as the movement pulled at his still healing wounds. “Duly noted. And for the record, same goes for you too. But we both know that promise isn’t gonna fucking last, but it’s cute you want to lie to yourself.” Aiden rolled his eyes and growled deep in his throat, but grabbed at Jackson’s face to pull him into another kiss. They broke apart and just breathed for a moment, together, foreheads pressed together.

“I love you, you know. And I’m sorry. I fought hard to come back, all because of you,” Jackson whispered.

“Well good, because I won’t ever let you give up, got it?” Aiden whispered back and delighted in Jackson laughing again, saying “fucking sap” before they kissed again and only stopped when Melissa came in to check on them. Jackson whined when she apologized for interrupting and then went to go get the pack.

The first thing out of Jackson’s mouth when Melissa came back, the pack in toe, was: “When can I have sex? You know, chest slashes and all?” and Aiden dropped his forehead to the bed in silent laughter as a mixture of laughter and groans rose from the pack.

The same ol’ Jackson Whittemore; and for that, Aiden was relieved.


End file.
